Cabinet reshuffle: Kerala gets record presence at Centre

Shashi Tharoor and Kodikkunnil Suresh were inducted in Union Council of Ministers today.

With the induction of Shashi Tharoor and Kodikkunnil Suresh in the Union Council of Ministers today,Kerala’s representation at the Centre has gone up to eight,the highest ever for the state.

Out of the eight ministers,seven are from the Congress,including Cabinet Ministers A K Antony and Vayalar Ravi.

E Ahamed,Minister of State for External Affairs,belongs to Indian Union Muslim League,a long-time ally of the Congress in the state as well as at the Centre.

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K V Thomas,Mullapally Ramachandran and K C Venugopal are the other Central ministers from Kerala apart from the newly inducted members.

Keralites who are playing important roles at the Centre also include Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien and Congress spokesperson P C Chacko,who is Chairman of the JPC on the 2G spectrum issue as well.

In today’s cabinet shuffle,the state capital has achieved sort of a double gain. While Tharoor represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha,Suresh belongs to a village here.

He has,however,been elected from Mavelikkara in the Central Travancore region.

A court in Antwerp passed the order initiating the formal process of bringing Choksi back to India. But, he still has options to challenge the order passed by the lower court.

Belgian court clears fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi’s extradition to India

India4 hr ago

Mehul Choksi, a fugitive diamantaire wanted in India for a Rs 13,000 crore loan fraud case, has been cleared for extradition by a court in Antwerp, Belgium. The Indian government has assured that Choksi will be held in a specific jail complex and provided with basic amenities if extradited. Choksi's extradition proceedings have advanced in Belgium and he has the option to challenge the order.

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